Red Carpet Confidential: Billy Ray Cyrus Shares Back-To-School Tips

Billy Ray Cyrus wants to make sure every kid’s back-to-school season gets off to a great start. The father of six makes lunches during Hellmann’s Sandwich Swap ‘n’ Share event to benefit Feeding America held in NYC.

What are the back-to-school traditions in the Cyrus home? In addition to Miley, 16, whose album The Time of Our Lives is in stores now, there’s Brandi, 22, Trace, 20, Christopher, 17, Braison, 15, and Noah, 9.

“I don’t really have any back-to-school traditions other than making sure you get to school and your books,” the kind, thoughtful actor/singer, 48, tells me.

What’s the most important nutrition lesson he shares with his kids?

“I think the most important food lesson is to drink plenty of water,” he tells me. “I always tell them to drink lots of water. Especially with the teenagers — drink lots of water. It cleans them out, keeps their body hydrated.”

Here’s a photo of Billy Ray and I:

Ooh! I won an iPod Nano in my lunch bag during this event. I was so happy I gave the wheat bread sandwich to a man begging outside the McDonald’s on my way back to the office. It feels good to give back.

Billy Ray Cyrus is working with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise to encourage people to create a virtual sandwich on Facebook.com/hellmanns to honor the tradition of sandwich-swapping at the lunch table just in time for the back-to-school season. For every virtual sandwich created and for every sandwich sent, Hellmann’s will donate seven lunches to Feeding America.